Homemade Caramel

It is my birthday today! And I made myself a treat. These caramels are seriously the best I have EVER had in my whole life. It is my mom’s recipe that she had been using for the past 40 years. Talk about tried and true!

I remember as a child I would sit at the table while my mom cut up the caramels. My job was to cut the wax paper into squares. My mom would pass me a caramel every once in awhile. She always made them this time of year and especially at Christmas. They not only remind me of my childhood, but they are to die for YUMMY!

Here is her recipe:

2 cubes of Butter(1 cup) I like to use salted

2 cups of Sugar

1 1/2 cups Light Corn Syrup

2 14oz cans of Sweetened Condensed Milk

2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract

Directions:

Before you get started get a bowl of ice water ready and set next to the stove.

In a large heavy bottom saucepan melt the butter. Add the sugar, corn syrup and sweetened condensed milk. Stir constantly on medium high heat until it comes to a rolling boil. Turn down heat to medium. Continue to stir constantly to avoid scorching. If it does start to scorch, turn the heat down a little. Stir until it starts to get a little darker. Check to see if it is done by spooning a little of the caramel into a bowl of ice water. Continue to check the caramel until it is the consistency you want. When it is right, remove from heat and add the vanilla. Pour into a greased pan. I use a cookie sheet. Let completely cool before cutting and eating. It takes a few hours for it to completely cool and set up. The longer you wait the better. I usually make it at night so I don’t get interrupted by kids while stirring and then it is ready and firm by morning.

The other thing I like about this recipe is you can use it to make caramel popcorn as well. Just cook it for less time so it is softer. It is soooo good!

Make sure you use SWEETENED condensed milk, not the evaporated milk that doesn’t have sugar in it!
If you can’t find corn syrup you can make a substitute by making a simple syrup using 2 parts sugar to 1 part water. If you use 2 cups sugar and 1 cup water that should give you plenty of syrup for the caramel recipe with a little bit left over. To make simple syrup put the sugar and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil while stirring to avoid burning the bottom. When all the sugar is dissolved your syrup is done. You can store the syrup in a jar indefinitely.

Happy Birthday! My grandmother used to make caramels like this, but she passed away before I could learn her recipe and how she made them. I will have to give this recipe a try :) Thanks for sharing it!

Happy Birthday. I pinned the caramel recipe – definitely a must within the next few months. They look delicious. I’ve got two girls who’ll love to cut up the squares of wax paper for me :) Hope you have a wonderful Birthday!

The cold water makes the candy firm up instantly. When you drop a bit of the caramel stuff into the ice water if it dissolves you know it isn’t done yet. When it holds it’s shape as a glob when you drop it into the ice water you know it’s done and time to pour into the greased pan.

I absolutely love caramel, it’s one of my favorite candies. I remember I use to buy them and hide them when I was small; never wanted to share ;) Thanks for this yummy recipe. Hope you have a fantastic B’day!

Allow me to testify, that these carmels ARE to DIE FOR!!! Thank you Stacy for sharing them with me. I gave each family member ONE and took the rest to my secret hiding place! I will nibble on them when the house is quiet and I am ALONE!
NUMMYLICIOUS!

Happy Birthday a day late, Stacy!
I make caramel sauce from my goat’s milk. Takes about six hours to simmer down a couple gallons of milk into a couple quarts of caramel dipping sauce for apples or for pouring over ice cream. The stuff around the edges gets thick enough to be candy. That’s my treat for standing over the stove stirring and steaming for all that time!

Caramel is lock-step in time with chocolate for one of my favorite treats. This recipe looks fantastic. I’ll be trying it out with my budding young chef this weekend. My girl is 13 and loves to bake; this will be fun! Thank you so much for sharing!

These sound amazing! i was thinking they would be great with my Christmas baking plates that I make for friends. How far ahead can you make them? What’s the best way to store them?
Thanks for the recipe!!

Happy birthday! Thanks for the recipe! I had a co-worker who use to make the best carmels at Xmas, but I never got the recipe. Now I can make my own and eat them when ever I want! I plan on making these after I get back from a wedding in early December. Until then I am on the diet, but Dec. 4 watch out – it will be carmel making time!

I started making caramels for Christmas 2 years ago and plan on making them for every Christmas. I do however sprinkle a small amount of course sea salt on them before wrapping them in wax paper. Sweet and salty! Yum!

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Welcome to my blog where I share my adventures of fixing up our tiny 1938 cottage. Whether it is big or small, I think everyone should love their home and I don't think it takes a lot of money to make a space your own.